NYS Global History Regents

absolute monarchy

A political system in which a country is ruled by a monarch, who has absolute control.

agriculture

The cultivating of land, producing of crops, and raising of livestock for human consumption.

Allied Powers

Alliance of Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and France during World War II.

apartheid

A political policy in South Africa where black South Africans could only live in certain areas, were required to use separate trains, beaches, restaurants, and schools, and could not enter into an interracial marriage.

appeasement

The policy of pacifying an aggressive nation in the hopes of avoiding further conflict.

arable

Land that is able to support the growing of crops.

armistice

A truce during wartime.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

(1881-1938) Nationalist leader of Turkey who is responsible for modernizing and westernizing his country after World War I. This enabled Turkey to resist imperialist attempts at takeover by various European powers.

Axis Powers

Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.

Ayatollah Khomeini

(1900?-1989) Islamic religious leader who led a fundamentalist revolution in Iran in 1979. Ruled until 1989.

balance of power

A political policy in which countries attempt to preserve peace by keeping an equal military and economic status.

Balfour Declaration

A 1917 promise made by Britain to create a homeland for the Jewish people.

barter

The exchange of goods or services for other goods or services.

Berlin Conference

(1884-1885) During European Imperialism, various European leaders met in Berlin, Germany to discuss plans for dividing Africa peacefully. These leaders had little regard for African independence, and had no representation for native Africans. This began the process of imperializing Africa.

Berlin Wall

A wall built in 1961 dividing Soviet controlled East Berlin from the democratic West Berlin. It was destroyed when communism ended in 1990.

Black Hand

Serbian nationalist/terrorist group responsible for the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand which resulted in the start of World War I.

Boer War

(1899-1902) War between Great Britain and the Boers in South Africa over control of rich mining country. Great Britain won and created the Union of South Africa comprised of all the South African colonies.

Simon Bolivar

(1783-1830) Latin American revolutionary responsible for the ousting of Spain from much of South America during the 19th century. He is considered to be the most important figure in the fight for Latin American independence.

Bolshevik

Early name of communists during the Russian Revolution of 1917.

bourgeoisie

Term given to the middle class people in society.

bureaucracy

The administration portion of the government.

Bushido

Code of conduct for Samurai and nobles during Japanese feudalism.

capital

Money that is used for investment.

capitalism

An economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods. Also promotes a free market regulated by supply and demand.

Blood & Iron

Policy of Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck to unify Germany and make it powerful through war and rapid industrialization.

Cash Crop

Crops grown in large quantities to sell on the international market, rather than for consumption by the people of a nation

censorship

The suppression information considered offensive or a threat to security.

centralized government

A government which controls all aspects of society from a central location or through a central system.

Chinese Communist Revolution

A political revolution in China led by Mao Zedong. After several years of fighting the Kuomintang, the communists won control of the country in 1949.

Winston Churchill

(1874-1965) British politician and Prime Minster of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945, and 1951 to 1955. He is regarded as the finest British leader of the 20th century and was instrumental in leading Britain to victory during World War II.

civil disobedience

The purposeful breaking of laws to protest actions by the government.

Cold War

Non shooting conflict between the Soviet Union and their allies and the United States and their allies.

collectivization

When the government assumes ownership of all farms and where peasants work on a quota system.

Command Economy

An economic system controlled by strong, centralized government, which usually focuses on industrial goods. With little attention paid to agriculture and consumer goods.

Commercial Revolution

A dramatic change in the economy of Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. It is characterized by an increase in towns and trade, the use of banks and credit, and the establishment of guilds to regulate quality and price.

communism

A system of government in which a single, totalitarian, party holds power. It is characterized by state control of the economy, and restriction on personal freedoms. It was first proposed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifesto.

Congress of Vienna

Meeting of European political leaders to reestablish former territorial borders after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the fall of Napoleon.

containment

A cold war policy that called for stopping the spread of communism to areas already under its influence. This policy was proposed by U.S. President Harry Truman.

cultural diffusion

The spreading of ideas through contact such as trade or war.

Cultural Revolution

(1966-1976) Political policy in started in China by Mao Zedong to eliminate his rivals and train a new generation in the revolutionary spirit that created communist China. It resulted in beatings, terror, mass jailings, and the deaths of thousands.

Czar Nicholas II

(1868-1918) Czar of Russia (1894-1917). He was overthrown during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Later, he and his family were killed by the revolution's leadership.

deforestation

The widespread destruction of the world's forests. One of the largest areas of destruction are the tropical rainforests. These forest are cut down for the hardwood lumber, to clear space for farming, for building settlements, and for grazing animals. land bridge

democracy

A system of government in which the citizens hold the legislative, judicial, and executive power, based on majority rule.

Deng Xiaoping

(1904-1997) Chinese Communist leader. Ruled from 1978 until 1997.

desertification

The process in which land slowly dries out until little or no vegetation exists becoming a desert.

détente

A policy during the Cold War which was aimed at relaxing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The policy calls for increase diplomatic and commercial activity.

developing nations

Nations that are economically and technologically less developed than industrialized nations.

divine right

The justification of monarchy through the word of God.

domino theory

The idea that countries bordering communist countries were in more danger of falling to communism unless the United States and other western nations worked to prevent it.

Enlightenment

A movement in the 18th century that stressed the importance of reason and science in philosophy and the study of human society. Occurred in Western Europe.

Estates General

The legislative body of France, composed of representatives from the three estates. Each Estate is entitled to one vote on legislative matters.

ethnocentric

A belief in the superiority of a certain ethnic group or race.

fascism

A system of government that promotes extreme nationalism, repression, anticommunism, and is ruled by a dictator.

Feudalism

A social, political, and economic system that dominated all aspects of medieval European life.

filial piety

A part Confucianism where respect is paid to the parents.

foreign policy

A nation's actions regarding how they treat other nations.

French Revolution

Political revolution in France starting in 1789 that brought about many changes in France. The revolution ultimately ended with a dictatorship under Napoleon Bonaparte before his defeat by the combined powers of Europe.

Mohandas Gandhi

(1869-1948) Nationalist leader in India, who called for a non violent revolution to gain his country's freedom from the British Empire.

genocide

The killing of all the people from a ethnic group, religious group, or people from a specific nation.

Glasnost

A policy of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev which called for more openness with the nations of West, and a relaxing of restraints on Soviet citizenry.

Mikhail Gorbachev

(1931- ), leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. His policies of Perestroika and Glasnost, which aimed at revitalizing the Soviet Union contributed to the downfall of communism.

Ho Chi Minh

(1890-1969) Vietnamese leader who is responsible for ousting first the French, then the United States from his country. Supported by both communist China and the Soviet Union, he guided Vietnam through decades long warfare to emerge as a communist nation.

human rights

The rights that are considered by most societies to belong automatically to all people, including the rights to justice, freedom, and equality.

Imperialism

The complete control of a weaker nation's social, economic, and political life by a stronger nation.

Industrial Revolution

In the second half of the 19th century, it was the fundamental change in the way goods were produced through the use of machines, capital, and the centralization of work forces in factories. It completely altered the social, economic, and political structure of most of Europe, Japan, and the United States.

industrialization

The change to industrial methods of production such as the use of factories.

interdependence

Mutual assistance or reliance between two or more parties.

Iron Curtain

A term popularized by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to describe the Soviet Union's policy of isolation during the Cold War.

Khmer Rouge

A group of communist guerillas in Cambodia during the late 20th century, led by Pol Pot, that killed over a million people to remove all western influence from the country.

Laissez-Faire Economics

This was an economic philosophy begun by Adam Smith in his book, Wealth of Nations, that stated that business and the economy would run best with no interference from the government. This economic system dominated most of the Industrial Revolution.

John Locke

(1632-1704) English philosopher and political theorist. He wrote Two Treaties on Government which explained that all men have Natural Rights, which are Life, Liberty, and Property, and that the purpose of government was to protect these rights.

Louis XIV

(1638-1715) Known as the Sun King, he was an absolute monarch that completely controlled France. One of his greatest accomplishments was the building of the palace at Versailles.

Louis XVI

(1754-1793) King of France between 1774 and 1792. He was overthrown during the French Revolution and later beheaded.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

(1743?-1803) Revolutionary leader who is responsible for ousting France from Haiti during the Latin American Revolutions in the early 19th century.

Nelson Mandela

(1918 - )A black South African leader who protested the policy of Apartheid and spent over thirty years in prison before becoming the first black president of South Africa.

Napoleon Bonaparte

(1769-1821) Emperor of the French. Responsible for many French Revolution reforms as well as conquering most of Europe. He was defeated at Waterloo, and died several years later on the island of Saint Helena.

Karl Marx

(1818-1883), German political philosopher and writer. Coauthor with Friedrich Engels of The Communist Manifesto which described the new philosophy of scientific socialism, which is the basis for modern communism.

Meiji Restoration

The restoration of the Emperor Meiji to power in Japan, overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868.

mercantilism

The policy of building a nation's wealth by exporting more goods than it imports. Colonies are instrumental in this policy as they supply their parent nations with raw materials that are used to produce finished goods, and then exported back to the colonies. Colonies not only served as a source for the raw materials, but also as an exclusive market for the parent country.

Slobodan Milosevic

(1941- ) Former Yugoslavian President. He fought to keep non-Serbs from breaking away from Yugoslavia. During the 1990s, he used his army to terrorize ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, who were asking for self rule.

Baron de Montesquieu

Enlightenment philosopher who suggested there should be three branches of government and each branch should be a check on the others' power.

nationalism

Pride in one's country or culture, often excessive in nature.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an international defense alliance between the United States, Great Britain, and others formed in 1949 as a response to the spread of communism.

New Imperialism

A policy of economic, political, and social of one country by another. Industrialized countries sought control of other countries for raw materials and new markets.

nonalignment

This term referred to a nation that did not take sides with the U.S. or USSR during the Cold War.

Old Imperialism

A European policy of conquest that occurs in the 15th through 18th centuries in Africa, India, the Americas, and parts of Asia. The motives were the same for most areas, the establishment of lucrative trade routes.

Oligarchy

A political system in which the government is under the control of the merchant class.

Pan Africanism, Pan Arabism, & Pan Slavism

Nationalistic movements which emphasized the unity of all Africans (Pan Africanism), all Arabs (Pan Arabism), or all Slavs (Pan Slavism) and sought to end foreign control.

Perestroika

A policy of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to revitalize the Soviet economy by opening it up to more free enterprise.

Pol Pot

(1925-1998) Leader of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Pol Pot is responsible for the deaths of almost 2 million of his own people due to starvation, execution, and beatings.

proletariat

Term given to the working class people in society.

republic

A type of democracy in which the people elect representatives to run the government

self-determination

the right to rule one's own country & not be under foreign control

Sepoy Mutiny

(1857-1859) A revolt by the hired Hindu and Muslim soldiers of the British East India Company.

Adam Smith

(1723-1790) British philosopher, writer, and economist. His book, The Wealth of Nations, describes his theory on free trade, otherwise known as laissez-faire economics.

Social Darwinism

A social theory which states that the level a person rises to in society and wealth is determined by their genetic background.

spheres of influence

An area of one country under the control of another. In China, these areas guaranteed specific trading privileges to each imperialist nation

Joseph Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1953. Known for his brutality in dealing with opponents and his failed policies of collectivism that caused widespread famine across the Soviet Union.

Suez Canal

A canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It was a vital trade route in the British Empire during imperialism, and continues to link North Africa and Europe to Asia today.

suffrage

The right to vote in elections.